Addison man sent to prison on meth charge

An Addison-area man caught with a methamphetamine laboratory operation at his rural home was handed down a state prison term Friday in Lenawee County Circuit Court.

Scott Allen Francis, 38, asked that he be allowed to remain with his family until after the holidays because of his father’s failing health. He was taken into custody to immediately begin serving a three- to 20-year prison term.

“I really messed up in doing what I done,” Francis told Judge Margaret M.S. Noe before the sentencing.

Noe said she will consider releasing Francis to the alternative prison boot camp program if requested by the Michigan Department of Corrections. But she rejected postponing the sentence until after the holidays.

Noe told Francis she is sorry his actions affected his ability to be with his father at a critical time.

“This is a factor most people think about before engaging in this kind of behavior,” she said.

Francis was released on personal recognizance last month after he pleaded guilty to operating a methamphetamine laboratory. He was arrested Sept. 23 when officers from the Region of the Irish Hills Narcotics Office executed a search warrant at his home on Herold Highway in Woodstock Township.

“I made bad choices,” Francis said at his plea hearing. He was living in a camper at his property, he said, and cooking methamphetamine “out in the woods.”

Noe said a pre-sentence investigation report showed Francis purchased a prescription drug used in making methamphetamines 39 times since 2009. It is also his third felony conviction.

“The issue of substance abuse has been going on for a very long time,” Noe said.

Two women were also charged with involvement in the drug operation at his home.

Vickie Lynn Phillips, 54, of Addison pleaded guilty to attempted possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to five years’ probation on Dec. 5.

Jolene Marie Richardson, 37, of Addison pleaded not guilty on Dec. 11 to a conspiracy charge and is scheduled for a Jan. 15 hearing.